This year, Wicked isn’t the only Wizard of Oz-inspired musical that’s eliciting standing ovations on Broadway. A new revival of THE WIZ at the Marquis Theatre in Manhattan has been playing to sold-out crowds since its official opening night on April 17. And on July 12, the 2024 Broadway cast recording of this version of […]

We are just two weeks away from Taylor Swift hitting the road again for a summer swing of European Eras Tour shows. And, as you may have heard, since the last time she played an Eras show Swift has dropped her fastest-selling album of all-time, The Tortured Poets Department, a sprawling, 31-track collection that has been racking up record after record in its first week. So, naturally, inquiring Swifties want to know if TTPD will be added to the Eras roster when the already jam-packed three-plus hour extravaganza revs up again on May 9 with the first of four shows at the Paris La Défense Arena in Paris? If you’ve been playing this game long enough you know there are always Easter eggs. Trending on Billboard While Swift has not commented, on Thursday night (April 25) Swift uploaded a 15-second YouTube Shorts clip in which it appeared that TTPD has, indeed, been slipped into rotation. Cued to the album’s first single, the Post Malone-featuring “Fortnight,” it finds Swift singing, dancing and playing piano in what look like Lover and Folklore set-ups, one quick-cut caught a lot of attention. In a brief shot, Swift is seen standing next to a silver railing that eagle-eyed fans quickly surmised was in the shape of the TTPD logo. There was no chill about this news. “GUYS THE RAILING LITERALLY SAYS TTPD!?!;);$!; ITS THE TTPD LOGO WE’RE GETTING TTPD AT THE ERAS TOUR,” tweeted one Swiftie. Another pointed out that Swift appeared to be wearing the same shoes from the “Fortnight” video in the rehearsal clip and another proved that there is no one in the game better at the long game than Taylor. “tHIS is what she means when she says she plans easter eggs far in advance. AHHHHH!!!!,” they wrote, noting that another Swiftie spotted that Swift had seemingly teased this new era before the tour even began when she posted an image of a box containing all her different-colored Eras microphones, including a white one that “hasn’t had a place in the show… until now!!!” It was hard to tell if Swift was wielding this white mic in the video because the clip is in grayscale, but that didn’t stop the breathless speculation about what’s next on the singer’s stadium-packing outing. Others also noted that the video appeared to feature new choreography and costumes that have not yet been rolled out, further proof that a new Era is potentially on the horizon. At press time a spokesperson for Swift had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment on whether TTPD will be included in the upcoming run of shows. Check out the Shorts clip and the Easter egg hunt below. 🚨| The same shoes from the "Fortnight" music video and a desk on the table teased during "The Eras Tour" rehearsals for the European leg! pic.twitter.com/DhqmV2S1FU— The Eras Tour (@tswifterastour) April 26, 2024

It’s a Taylor Swift sweep on Australia’s charts, as The Tortured Poets Department (via Universal) and “Fortnight” blast to No. 1. Tortured Poets opens at the summit of the ARIA Albums Chart, published Friday, April 26, for her lucky 13th leader in these parts. With that result, Swift boasts the most No. 1 albums for a solo female artist in ARIA chart history, moving ahead of Madonna to claim outright third place. The all-time leader among acts with the most chart-topping albums in Australia is Jimmy Barnes with 15 as a solo act (he had another five with Cold Chisel), followed by the Beatles with 14. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Meanwhile, Swift scoops the chart double with “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone opening at No. 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart, for her 12th leader on that tally. With a dozen singles chart leaders, Swift sits third on the all-time list of artists here, trailing Elvis Presley (No. 14) and The Beatles (No. 26). At the same time, she becomes the first artist to hold the entire top 10 on the singles chart, and establishes a new mark for the most singles in the top 50, with 29 on the current frame. That creams the old record of 20, set by Drake in 2021 and by herself in 2023. Trending on Billboard All 31 tracks from the double album impact the top 100, with “Robin” the lowest at No. 55. Three older songs sit in the top 100 (“Cruel Summer,” “Anti Hero” and “Lover”), meaning Swift has more than one-third of all songs in the top 100 (34). The previous record was 32 in one week, ARIA reports, held by Michael Jackson and Taylor. Swift, whose The Eras Tour visited Australia in late 2023 for seven shows, is the only artist in ARIA history to replace themselves at No. 1 on the national albums tally. She has done it three times, including this month with Tortured Poets replacing Lover (earlier, in 2023, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) replaced Midnights; and in March 2024, Lover replaced Midnights). According to a statement issued late Friday by Universal Music Australia, Tortured Poets is the most-sold album on vinyl in ARIA history, the market’s most-streamed LP in its opening week, and the biggest album debut since Adele’s 25 in 2015. Remarkably, only two of the U.S. pop superstar’s studio or re-recorded albums have failed to reach the summit in Australia — her self-titled debut, Taylor Swift (peaking at No. 33 in 2006) and Fearless (No. 2 in 2008). Fearless (Taylor’s Version) did, however, climb the summit in 2021. In non TTPD-related ARIA Chart news, Pearl Jam bows at No. 2 with Dark Matter, the Seattle rock legends’ 12th studio album. Pearl Jam has had eight No. 1 albums in Australia: Vs. in 1993, Vitalogy in 1994, No Code in 1996, Yield in 1998, Binaural in 2000, Riot Act in 2002, Backspacer in 2009 and Lightning Bolt in 2013. Dark Matter is the followup to 2020’s Gigaton, which peaked at No. 3.

Shady’s back, and he’s hinting that it’s for the last time. Eminem teases The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce), a new album due out in summer 2024. The Rock Hall-inducted emcee breaks the news by way of a viral video in the style of real crime show Unsolved Mysteries, which tells a narrative of how Em meets his end and asks the question, “who killed Slim Shady?” It’s a tongue-in-cheek job, and features fellow rapper 50 Cent (who declares “he’s not a friend, he’s a psychopath”), vintage footage of the Detroit rapper, a bloody knife, and a pixelated, bearded Em in the hot seat. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Through his complex, tongue twisting and oft criticized rhymes, the blonde anti-hero known as Slim Shady has had no shortage of enemies,” explains the trench-coated narrator of the parody program, Detroit Murder Files. “The same rude lyrics and controversial antics might have ultimately led to his demise.” The Death Of Slim Shady is the followup to the rapper’s 11th studio album from 2020, Music to Be Murdered By. That album landed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, for Em’s historic 10th consecutive leader. Prior to that Eminem delivered another surprise with Kamikaze, which dropped in 2018 without any warning. Trending on Billboard Eminem was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, in a class that included Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Dolly Parton, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Lionel Richie and Carly Simon. Em’s longtime collaborator Dr. Dre did the honors at the Rock Hall, and it was Dre who announced that a new Eminem album was on the way, spilling the beans on late night TV last month. “Let me tell you something, let me explain something to you right now: Eminem is working on his own album which is coming out this year,” Dre said to cheers from the studio audience for Jimmy Kimmel Live, for his first late night appearance in 30 years. “And I actually talked to him and he said it okay for me to make that announcement right here on this show. So he has an album coming out, I’ve got songs on it and it’s fire. I’m actually gonna hear the entire album for the first time for tomorrow.” The Rap God has dominated our news feeds in recent days. With the 2024 NFL draft upon up, Em, a Detroit Lions superfan, teamed up with commissioner Roger Goodell for a new ad hyping the 89th annual draft, taking place in Marshall’s hometown from April 25-27. Also, the official video for Eminem’s 2004 song “Mockingbird” flew past 1 billion views earlier this week on YouTube, and the MC posted a single, powerful image on Instagram on Sunday honoring his 16th sober anniversary.

St. Vincent is back. The musician, songwriter and guitarist unveiled her seventh studio album, All Born Screaming, on Friday (April 26). The album features previously released single “Broken Man,” “Flea” and “Big Time Nothing.” “There are some places, emotionally, that you can only get to by taking the long walk into the woods alone — […]